


Stars and Sidewalks

by Kat Santos (jiyunosakura)



Category: My Candy Love
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Candy and Kentin, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, My Candy Love Secret Santa 2020, ex-lovers reunion, former boyfriend and girlfriend, my candy love university life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28163850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiyunosakura/pseuds/Kat%20Santos
Summary: Looking for a bit of fresh air outside the Snake Room, Shu Fang (Candy) left Crowstorm's concert by half and met the one person she thought she would never see again: her ex-boyfriend, Kentin. After catching up a bit, then, they decided to spend the night together until the sun rises, looking at the stars and sat on sidewalks.
Relationships: Candy/Ken (My Candy Love)
Kudos: 3





	Stars and Sidewalks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShuFang](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ShuFang).



> Hey, guys.  
> So, this is my first fanfic written all in English and I'm kinda nervous hehe English is not my first language, I'm Brazilian so I speak Brazilian Portuguese. If you guys ever see a mistake, please let me know and give me constructive critics and suggestions about this. I'm trying to improve my writing on a daily basis and I'd be glad to count in with your feedback.  
> This one-shot is a Secret Santa gift to my secret friend, ShuFang. That's why Candy's name here in this story is Shu Fang, okay? Her crush on My Candy Love is Kentin, so I wrote this University Life AU with Kentin casually visiting his hometown and meeting Candy. I did my best effort in it, really. Kentin is not my crush, it's Nathaniel, so I did lots of research to understand Kentin and how he interacts, what he likes and dislikes... I really think it was worth it.  
> One last thing: this one-shot has a soundtrack. It's Taylor Swift's song from her new album, "'Tis the damn season". I added the link below so you can read and listen altogether. I think it enhances the experience of reading because the song lyrics match the story and it gives this soft, calm and dramatic vibe.  
> Anyway, have a nice time reading it.  
> To ShuFang, specifically: Merry Christmas, girl. I really hope you like this one-shot I wrote especially for you.

[[Mood song: 'Tis the damn season - Taylor Swift](https://youtu.be/WuvhOD-mP8M)]

When Shu Fang crossed the front door of the Snake Room and felt the cold air from the night, she felt less overwhelmed.

It was not that she didn’t like Crowstorm’s music or that she didn’t enjoy their little concert that evening. Actually, she was pretty proud of Castiel’s success and that he was living his dream and making music as he always intended and wanted to. The thing was… she didn’t really like more than fifty people stuck at the same place and the number of voices raising at every second. And in that night, that was the case: there was a bit of a crowd inside, especially after Castiel left the stage and joined the screaming and kind of annoying groupies at the bar.

In addition, in the middle of that crowd, suddenly she felt a bit alone. And a need for fresh air. Therefore, since Nathaniel, her so-called date of the evening, or any of her friends were nowhere to be found, she had no choice but to choose her destination all by herself.

Shu went outside, then, where few people were found and more silence. That pleased her more than she imagined it would. She liked the cold air, the shining stars, and the absence of light in the street that gave her current lonely state a mysterious vibe.

Wondering if she should chill a little more in the outdoors or seek something to eat in a nearby supermarket, she put her eyes on a person sit on the sidewalk across the street. Even though she could only visualize him under the half-light, he was somewhat familiar to her. She couldn’t tell if it was what she was seeing or if it was the goosebumps all over her arms and head, telling her something was different and similar at the same time.

Shu stared at him for a few more seconds, observing what he was like and trying to discover why he was so familiar, from where she knew him. There was something in the messy and spiky hair he was showing and in the way he was sit down on the sidewalk.

A choir of laughs startled her and she was awakened from her hypnotized state. Looking quickly at the group that seemed to be behind her, she noticed that people started to leave the bar because Crowstorm’s concert was officially over. And slowly, she observed the street be filled with a few pairs and trios here and there walking calmly, telling jokes, and laughing hard.

In seconds, the half-lighted street was filled with life.

Another choir of laughs called her attention and she looked to the people behind her. They seemed to be her age and in their tenth shot of tequila, enjoying the conversation they were having and not seeming to be leaving. It was when they started to call the mysterious man that they got her true interest. A choir of “hey, man, dude” replaced the laughs and some crazy gesturing was involved. However, it was when they pronounced his name that she felt the floor falling down for a minute.

Kentin.

They called him Kentin.

Her heart skipped some beats when she listened and mouthed repeating it.

Shu paralyzed where she was. Her head got filled with doubt. Was he _her_ Kentin? Because… how many Kentin could actually exist in that city and in the ones near it? That’d explain the goosebumps her body didn’t learn how to let go after they broke up and the familiar sensation of knowing him, because she indeed used to know every little part of him.

After some really loud screams and more crazy gesturing, the group managed to call his attention from what seemed to be a pair of earphones and a cellphone. Kentin, hers or not hers, looked at their direction and gathered his things to stand up from the sidewalk. Shu wasn’t able to visualize his face completely yet, but when he started walking to where she was and slowly came to the light – his steps matching the beats of her heart, she knew it was him. _Her_ Kentin.

Those greenish pair of eyes weren’t found anywhere else.

In the middle of his way, when he also distinguished her from his group of friends, Kentin abruptly stopped, never in a million years realizing he would find his ex-girlfriend’s brown hair waving with the cold air and her charming blue eyes staring at him in that very late night he decided to visit his hometown.

Their eyes met, blue in green, and they studied each other, startled by the sudden reunion. In their heads, a million questions were popping, a feeling of strangeness and home at the same time, as they indeed spent years learning all about interacting with each other and out of the blue, stopped for four long years. Immersed in that little bubble of theirs, words were intending to be exchanged, but they didn’t want to pop it.

Kentin’s friends were still engaged in a conversation of their own while they waited for him to get closer. Nonetheless, Shu wasn’t paying attention at all to what they were talking about and her ex-boyfriend seemed to be surprised enough to not even look at them. The lack of attention from him, though, wasn’t in their friends’ plans.

“Hey man”, the black-haired of them noticed Kentin being right there and approached. He greeted Shu with a wave and a smile, those to which she had a difficulty in responding properly. Her former boyfriend looked at him. “We’re going to end the night at a club near here. You coming?”, his friend continued, his voice trembling a bit due to high levels of alcohol, Shu presumed.

Kentin looked at her once more, seeming to be thinking about what he was willing to choose. Then, he sighed and still gazing at her, he answered: “No, I’m going to hang out here a little more. I catch you guys later”.

His friend nodded and then, looked at Shu without her noticing for a few seconds. Noticing he was still there, the brown-haired one started paying attention to him and raised an eyebrow at his attitude. Kentin thought that whatever it was he was thinking or considering about him and Shu, he would discover sooner or later.

Watching the silenced conversation happening between the two guys, Shu felt uncomfortable. What was she doing, after all? Not saying a word about her ex-boyfriend’s decision to stay with her instead of going to have fun with his friends? She didn’t have the right to ask for a thing such as this, not with the four long years of distance and no talking between them. “You don’t need to do this”, she said to him, that being the first time she opened her mouth to talk to him that night, “Go party with your friends”.

Kentin answered immediately, a chuckle following the words: “No. It’s not every day I find you walking around the same streets I do. We have catch-ups to do”.

Shu felt her face warming up at his words and turning red. Her ex-boyfriend still had that way with words that had the power to unbalance her whole body and make her appear stupid and in love. Without saying anything else, then, the black-haired friend was gone.

“Catch ups, huh?”, the blue-eyed girl answered, taking a deep breath, “We have a lot to catch up. You sure you want to do it this night? I don’t think it’ll last any time to sleep or to party in that club”.

He chuckled again, opening that big smile of his and matching the stars in brightness. “I don’t think we’re ever going to have an opportunity like this so soon. So, yeah, I’m willing to sacrifice my precious night of sleep because of you”.

With that, Shu stared at him intensively. That made her remember her Kentin four years ago really willing to do anything for her and because of her. She felt a mix of sadness and discomfort in the middle of the memories of joy that were those moments.

“Yeah, it’s been a long time since we met last time”, she said in an attempt to address those feelings in her heart.

“I know, right? Almost four whole years…”, he agreed, “Not that I’m counting or something”.

Shu opened a tiny smile. “That’s okay to count”, and shrugged shyly, “I… I kinda have been counting too…”.

That was Kentin’s turn to gaze at her. She kept looking at him, as well, stretching the moment as far as she could. She wanted to know what he was thinking when he stared at her like that. Perhaps… reviving those memories in his head like she was doing? Or… regretting they happened at all?

Yeah… she didn’t like the second option.

“So… you came back to our hometown, after all?”, the brown-haired broke the silence, putting his hands into his hoodie’s pockets.

Shu nodded. “Anteros Academy was the only college that offered the specialization course I wanted to take. So… here I am”, she explained.

“Enjoying so far?”, he asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah. It’s great to see everyone again, especially because I made new friends. And although the studying part is giving me trouble, the classes are actually fun”, she gave more details as she grinned at him. Then, her eyes opened up with realization, for she remembered her previous arrangement with Nath at the concert. As her smile turned sheepish, she added: “And I think they’re wondering where I am right now”.

Shu watched his shoulders fall with disappointment and him breaking their eye contact to stare at the sidewalk instead. He took a deep breath, subsequently. “Do you want to go back inside, then?”, he asked after a few seconds.

Disappointed with the idea of leaving him and breaking their moment, as well as him, she considered her options, and her decision was made easily. “No”, she answered with her eyes on him and expecting him to look at her again. When he did, she grinned at him. “I can text them telling where I am or tell them later in person”, she shrugged, “So do you want to go somewhere?... There’s a supermarket near here. We can buy something to eat, if you want to”.

Matching her smile, he opened one even larger making his face light up. Shu felt glad he was excited as she was to spend some time together, just the two of them. The discomfort was still there, meddling the sea of joy and nostalgia she was swimming in, however, little by little, she was getting used to its presence.

“A supermarket opened at one in the morning?”, he questioned.

She nodded: “It’s a lifesaver most of the time. And it’s cheaper than buying ridiculously small portions at Snake Room” and winked at him.

Kentin chuckled, a dreamy look dancing in his eyes. She felt her heart melt by seeing that face towards her once more, especially when she thought she would never see it again. “I like the way you think about food, you know that”, he responded, “What do you want to buy?”.

Shu put a finger in her chin. “I don’t know… Maybe some cookies?”, she smirked.

That made Kentin laugh. Laugh a lot. He probably remembered all those moments they spent afternoons laying down on the grass and eating his favorite brand of French cookies. She felt pleased as those memories played smoothly in her own head. “As long as I love cookies with all my heart, I prefer to sit here with you and chill out the rest of the night”, he responded.

The blue-eyed girl was taken out of her daydreaming the minute he spoke.

“Really?”, she asked in a surprised tone.

“Really”, Kentin nodded and took her hand gently.

That made her look directly at their hands held together and blush. She felt a warmth and some sort of energy going through them, just like when they had first held their hands together. He walked towards the sidewalk and invited her with a gentle squeeze in her fingers to sit by his side. She did and felt glad when their arms touched each other and the contact warmed her up. The discomfort she was feeling was totally gone by then. There was just the smooth comfort her ex-boyfriend knew too well how to provide.

Shu put her legs together and embraced them while her gaze laid upon Kentin. “By the way, how’s Cookie?”, she asked.

It’s been a long time she hasn’t seen his German Shepherd dog either. The last time she saw him, he was just a cute and furry puppy. She wondered how he would look like nowadays and how big he would be.

“He’s doing just fine”, Kentin answered with his green eyes light up again, “He’s big and strong… a dork and a troublemaker as usual, of course…”, and shrugged, “Nothing that would make me love him less, anyway”.

“As usual”, Shu responded with a chuckle.

“Here, let me show you”, he said in a way full of excitement and picked his cell phone up from his pocket. He got even closer to her to show the pictures he had taken of him and his dog and she didn’t complain at all, enjoying more of his heat in that cold night. As time flew by, she paid exclusive attention to every single photo as he casually and spontaneously told the stories behind the pictures.

By those funny stories, she learned that Cookie kept him company every time, everywhere, and liked to play with his clients’ dogs as he tried to do his training program with them. With this information, she confirmed what her friends have told her: Kentin had made his way as a dog trainer in the current city he was living in.

Once he was finished, almost one hour and a half later, she felt the need to acknowledge what was happening in front of her and was beautiful in her eyes: “It’s cute to see how your eyes light up when you talk about him. And about your job”.

That being said, Shu watched his cheeks turn red as he quickly looked away, breaking their eye contact. It was his turn to experience some discomfort. The brown-haired girl chuckled again, thinking how adorable he was and had always been. In addition, she also noticed how he hasn’t lost his proud behaviors and still wasn’t willing to admit he was feeling what was obviously shown in his face like an outdoor.

That was definitely _her_ Kentin, right there in front of her.

Even though he was not _hers_ anymore.

She gasped, realization sinking in her stomach like it was made of lead. There she was, feeling like a seventeen-year-old and high-schooler all over again and reliving memories from events that happened more than four years ago… and he was not _hers_ , not anymore. By that, she instantly remembered his words earlier in their conversation: “I prefer to sit here with you and chill out the rest of the night”.

“The rest of the night” … That’s right. They had only that night.

She came back to their hometown to settle down and pursue her objectives and he had this whole life of his back there in his new city. They met this night as a casualty of destiny, an _amazing_ set up of casual events, but still a casualty. Therefore, eventually, that night was going to end and they’d go part ways, once more.

Swallowing thickly, Shu let go of her legs and stretched them in an attempt to relax a bit from the storm inside of her. Noticing her moves, Kentin looked at her. His cheeks were still red, but he seemed more self-assured. He smirked: “Well, it’s not cute to see you laughing at me”.

She shrugged and reflected his smile by a sheepish one of her own. “Anyway, I miss Cookie. He’s such a good dog and seems to be this life-mate you can count in”, and changed the subject, trying to avoid entering a conversation she didn’t want to have and express her own awkward feelings in the process.

Her ex-boyfriend nodded and instantly blushed again. Taking her hand, he held her wrist and started playing with the set of bracelets she was wearing. That broke their eye contact once more. Shu narrowed her eyes gazing at him and trying to understand what was going inside him. Kentin seemed focused on the task of doing-whatever-he-was-doing with her bracelets, a frown on his forehead, and a pensive look in his eyes.

“I… no… is, is Cookie the only one you’ve missed?” and then, his green eyes were on her again, with a growing expectation of her answer.

His question was like a knock on the door of her deepest feelings. She knew he was indirectly asking her if she had missed him, it was so obvious she didn’t have to make effort to get it and neither to answer it. Of course, Shu had missed him. How could she not? He was her first boyfriend, her high-school sweetheart, and she dared to say: the love of her life. It was not right for her to try to diminish how meaningful was the time she spent by his side and how important he had been to her.

And apparently, how he still was.

However, it was not right for her either to let go and forget with a blink of an eye the four years they spent apart and what caused them to break up. _Shu_ was the one who left town with her parents and put distance between them. _Shu_ was also the one who decided that it was better for them to split. Furthermore, it was her responsibility to not give Kentin any hope considering they were going to part ways anyway.

And then, she was wearing her feelings on her face. All the sadness, nostalgia, and discomfort she had been feeling all night hit her hard, straight to the heart. “Kentin, I cannot answer this question the way you want me to”, she revealed, pulling her arm gently so he could let her go.

The green-eyed boy didn’t do it, though. Instead, he held on to her hand like a lifeline. He studied her expressions of insecurity and doubt, of fear and discomfort, and she felt like he was reading her soul that instant. “So, don’t answer what you think I want you to say. Answer me according to what you’re truly feeling”, he asked, red still on his cheeks.

“No. This could lead to more pain and suffering. Haven’t we had enough?”, she said, her voice sounding a little squeaky.

Kentin nodded and took a deep breath. “I know what you mean, really. But this opportunity is too good for us to miss it”, he insisted, his eyes shining with hope, “I know you’re thinking about what happens next. I ask you to consider the ‘now’”.

“But when the morning comes, you’ll come back to your city and I’ll stay here. We like it or not, we’re going to say good-bye. _Again_ ”, she shook her head feeling the pain come just by talking about it, “That’s what I’m trying to avoid”.

Her former boyfriend didn’t seem convinced, though. “I know”, he said, “The sunrise is our deadline. We can either spend the rest of the night enjoying it or waste it trying to avoid what’s happening between you and me”.

Shu took a deep breath and some seconds to herself, avoiding his gaze by looking at her free hand. What he said made sense to her and it seemed the logical answer. Plus, she was dying inside to accept his offer and just be with him, make him hers as she was his once more, even though it was just for a few hours.

Knowing his gaze was still on her, she felt him playing again with her hand, this time intertwining his fingers with hers. Her heart skipped some beats and she felt goosebumps all over her arms and back and climbing over to her hair. That brought a whole set of memories back into her head and she daydreamed again for a few seconds.

“Just this night, Shu”, Kentin whispered, suddenly closer to her, “No regrets”.

She noticed herself nodding and saying “yes” to him.

The next thing she noticed was Kentin getting closer enough for her to feel his breath in her skin. Closing his sparkly greenish eyes, he rubbed his lips gently on hers and the energy she felt when he touched her earlier was spread to her whole body. Shu kissed him back closing her eyes and joining a reality she only had access to when daydreaming. It was soft and intimate, new and nostalgic at the same time, and involving enough to make her believe she went back six years ago when they had their first kiss.

The brown-haired boy raised their hands intertwined together when they parted their lips to kiss the back of her hand. Smiling at the gentle gesture, she observed him incline himself to lay down on the sidewalk and pull her arm as an invitation. She joined him and he put his arms around her, warming her up with the heat from his body.

Clang to her former boyfriend, the blue-eyed girl looked at the stars and watched the sky for a minute. It was almost four in the morning and the dark blue tone was slowly being replaced by some lighter tones of blue, the first signs of the morning to come. She knew Kentin was doing the same when he whispered in her ear that the stars were slowly disappearing. She nodded, agreeing, a pleased grin on her lips.

In his arms, she felt like she was finally at home.

After a while, he started to run his hand in her arm and draw circles with his fingers. Those moves lighted up a trail of fire in every part of her skin he has touched. They made her lay her head in his chest and hug him, feeling comfortable enough for even sleeping if she wanted.

Recapping the events of this night in her head, she smirked at the thought of something she hadn’t noticed before due to their reunion being more important. “I just realized something…”, she broke the silence, a sarcastic tone in her voice, “Did you come to watch Castiel’s concert? Last time I checked, you weren’t on good terms with him”.

As a response, Kentin laughed. “No, actually I was out here the whole time”, he explained, “Real loud music in my earphones helped me muffle his voice. Their music is not bad, but I really can’t stand the guy”.

Shu joined him in laughter. “That makes more sense than you actually watching his concert”, she stated, “So… why did you come here if you weren't interested in his music?”.

“Those super drunk people I dumped for you? They insisted. A lot”, he answered, “So I thought ‘why not?’ and here I am. Best decision I made in four years, actually. I’m totally going to thank them. Their fault I bumped into you”.

She chuckled at his funny way of explaining and blushed at the way he addressed her as important. “No regrets”, she repeated what he said earlier and he grinned at her.

“So, tell me… what’s changed in our hometown?”, he asked caressing her hair.

The blue-eyed girl closed her eyes for a moment before answering, enjoying him touching her and her long brown hair. “Okay… first of all: Amber? It’s like she was reborn”, she began.

Kentin frowned his forehead: “What do you mean?”.

Shu started explaining Amber’s transformation from an annoying and snob daddy’s little girl into a friendly and hardworking woman. He was surprised, for he had never thought she could grow and change that much, like her, by the way. She also took the chance to talk about Nathaniel and his mysterious way to make a living and about Rosalya, Alexy, and her new friend, Chani. Her new job was also a subject in the matter, but she avoided talking about her unbearable boss.

As usual, Kentin was the good listener he had always been and encouraged her to keep filling him up with everything that had been going on recently.

When she stopped talking, the sky had changed from dark blue to orange and purple, showing that the sun was rising. They stood up from the sidewalk and looked at each other. For the first time that night, Shu was able to visualize her former boyfriend clearly and analyze every single part of him that’s changed since the last time they met. His hair was still messy, but now it had a new and different haircut that fit the new Kentin she was looking at. It was the same with the way he was dressing: the same stripped style of clothes, but more mature and responsible in a way. However, his green eyes were the same as she remembered: dreamy and sparkly. She was never going to get tired of looking into his eyes.

She noticed he was analyzing her as she was doing to him when he gazed at her. After a few seconds, he raised his hand towards her face and caressed her cheek. By the way, he was staring and smiling at her, she felt loved once more.

Where would she find the strength to let him go again?

“You’re so beautiful, Shu”, he whispered.

She felt her face warm up and responded with a smirk, although she was feeling uncomfortable inside: “I can tell the same about you”.

Kentin chuckled and then, became serious. That was it! It was time for them to part ways. The pain inside her chest became unbearable as she held on to her urge to cry.

“Shu, I… I really don’t want to mess up this moment with words”, he started, “So, I’ll just…” and stopped.

He got closer to her, instead, and kissed her gently and softly. She kissed him back savoring the taste of his lips and showing how meaningful he was to her and how that night was going to be in her thoughts and heart forever. He put himself in that kiss with the same passion and intimacy as her, stretching the moment as long as they could.

Once they separated, she pecked his lips once more, trying to print her mark on them. She needed to make him acknowledge that this night happened and that it was worth remembering.

And then, she took two steps back from him. Her eyes were still staring at Kentin and his features in a way of trying to memorize them, so she could count in her memories of him in moments of need. The last thing she saw was this picture of him: his large smile, his green eyes as bright as the stars looking at her, and his hands inside his pockets.

Furthermore, Shu Fang turned her back at her ex-boyfriend and started walking away from him, from that street, and from Snake Room.

As she returned to her college dorm, she felt the rising sun warm up her skin and she let her tears fall. Her sense of rightness and logic about the decision of leaving her Kentin was falling down with every step she took away from him. She fought the desire of running back to him and begging him to stay because she knew she couldn’t ask him to change his whole life for her and to adapt himself for her own selfish reasons.

So, she cried, for that was the only thing she could do to soften the pain.

And she cried, even though she knew she would miss him so much.

Notwithstanding, she knew she would also recover.

Shu had gone through this kind of situation before and she survived it, living one day after another. She had never stopped missing him and loving him, that was for sure, but she had been able to move on with her life.

That was definitely what she would do from that moment on, then. She would move on and let memories of him guide her to what was best to her and to him. The marks he printed on her during this night and the two years they were together would help her walk the path she needed to walk, even though she wouldn’t have him by her side.

Between sobs and tears, then, Shu made her decision and let the sun light reassure her of it.

She would let stars and sidewalks remind her of him, _her_ sweet Kentin.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'd really appreciate it if you guys give me some feedback :)
> 
> To ShuFang: girl, I don't know if this one-shot was what you were expecting for this Secret Santa, I tried to create this fluffy atmosphere with a bit of angst, because what love story doesn't have angst, right? haha And I know it doesn't have exactly a happy ending, but I really wanted it to have this realistic tone. It was awesome and fun to write with Kentin and to create your Candy the way I did. I really hope you liked it. If it's possible, please let me know your opinion.
> 
> That's it, guys. Thanks a lot to the ones who read <3


End file.
